Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Maintaining Momentum During a Global Slowdown
You have spent countless weekends positioning your business, tweaking your product, perfecting your offer. Tirelessly sacrificing your free time, investing all your efforts into your passion, your dream, your wonderfully spectacular goal. You have built it and you're ready to reap the fruitful rewards when…
With little warning, literally overnight, the world suddenly changes. The rules were frantically rewritten, the access to your clients became extremely limited, and ‘business as usual’ abruptly and quickly held to a new definition.
So we are now faced with a new dilemma, on this precipice of the unknown; how do we maintain momentum during this global slowdown?
3 Key Activities for Your Business
As the dawn of the new norm brings the instability of fear and panic, the loss of predictable income, and limitation to your business, that are far outside of your contingency plans, you are left with two choices; sink or swim.
Your natural instinct is to survive, to thrive in the face of adversity and to shine in the glory of triumph.
That is the outlook needed to become a market leader in this new and uncharted climate.
As I amp'd up my activities, I knew there were 3 key activities that would prove to be the most effective and rewarding for my business. If done correctly, you will bring to fruition more than you’ve planned or desired, soon realizing there is hope and benefit to a global slowdown, for you and your clients too.
Action Item One - Stay Active on Social Media.
This is not the time to retreat, to panic or lower your voice. This is the time to be present, to lead, to inspire and draw attention to what you offer. But you can no longer do it in the pre-slowdown way. You will need to be creative in how you share your messaging.
Joint ventures- - cross promoting, hosting online meetups, offering free content of value, and being your true authentic self.
Remember, people are looking for a break from the perils they’re facing. Your business may offer the distraction they need and if done correctly, may just lift their spirits, turning them into a referral client, just because you stayed present in a time of crisis.
The Second Action Item - Podcasts
This is a strategy I began, with laser focus and determined intent, to be a champion of for 2020. My mission, be a guest- - on multiple podcasts shows each month of the year for the entire year.
This is not a simple task. It will take some planning, online networking, and campaigning to draw the opportunities to you. But now more than ever, people will turn to the power of the podcast to help them through these frightening times. People are looking for inspiration, motivation and solutions that will bring them hope.
Learning is suddenly a valuable currency and will be a game changing asset in this untrodden future.
Your Last Action Item - Blog What You Know
If the global slowdown gave me one gift, it was the gift of time. Time for my kids, time for my wife and time to write. There are many ways to share your writing. Many places to connect with your clients and help people with the solution you share.
With time comes curiosity, inquisitiveness, exploration; this is how they will find you. They will look for answers to questions they never had time to answer, until now. Your blog may be the golden nugget they were seeking, but didn’t realize where to find it.
This will drive people back to your website, Amazon page- -Amazon page, social media hub, or anywhere you direct them.
When you marry all three strategies together, in unison, you develop a magnetizing voice that will empower and inspire your audience to follow you and become a client.
This is how you maintain momentum during a global slowdown.
Author's Bio:
W.T. Hamilton is the award winning author of the ONE Chapter Book, The Harsh Truths- - and the co-author of the Your Invincible Power- - book series. He is a business consultant, speaker and author helping driven entrepreneurs solve business problems One Chapter book at a time.
Monday, 11 May 2020
***How Habitual Stress Affects Our Body And Effective Ways To Beat It
Stress is an emotional and physical response to external factors, and lessening stress is the secret to a longer, healthier, life. We know that stress isn't good for us, and we know that everyone experiences stress every day, but once we're aware of how long-lasting stress impacts our physical body, we realise that it's important to find ways to manage and reduce stress to remain healthy. It doesn't matter how old we are, or whether we're male or female, we're all exposed to numerous daily stressors and if our reactions to those stressors aren't dealt with and managed, the outcome on our physical health is often detrimental.
When we're stressed, the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are created to help us with the 'fight or flight' reaction to any potentially dangerous situations. This hormone creation is useful in the short term as it increases our heart rate enabling us to quickly escape from any potentially dangerous situations. When we're under stress or feeling anxious, our hormones change to help us to manage the stressful or anxiety-causing situation, enabling us to use the natural 'flight or fight' response, but when the stress is constant and long-term it's likely to have a negative influence on our health. These effects range from straightforward recurring problems such as tiredness and depression, to far more severe issues such as heart failure and cancer. Therefore it's vital to find effective ways of dealing with stress.
When stress becomes habitual or long-term, our body naturally responds and continues to send stress hormones into our system. When the stress hormones remain elevated for extended periods we start to see the long-term effects.
The body's stress hormone, cortisol, causes blood sugar to rise, resulting in an acidic blood state. Acidic blood results in many of today's common conditions: diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, along with excess tummy fat. A low glycemic and high protein diet is beneficial to help us keep on top of the effects of stress.
Below are some useful ways to reduce stress:
• Wherever possible, remove yourself from the stressful situation and focus on your breathing for a few moments with the sole intention of calming your mind and body.
• If you're feeling stressed due to overwhelm, break your tasks down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
• Look at your diet and eliminate sugar and caffeine:
• Eat oily fish – it contains a high quantity of B vitamins which is great to help you deal with stress. Salmon and tuna are excellent choices, and you should try to consume at least two portions per week.
• Drink plenty of water – it's very important to stay hydrated. Your cells need water to operate properly.
• Drink milk – a bowl of wholegrain cereal with reduced-fat milk every morning is a great way to keep one step ahead of stress as your day begins.
• Eat nuts – nuts are a great source of Vitamin B2 and E, together with magnesium and zinc. Nuts contain (generally) unsaturated fats.
• Eat oranges and kiwi fruits - these are high in vitamin C, which helps to control the release of free-radicals into your system.
• Exercise – this doesn't have to involve a gym membership. A good regular walk or swim will go a long way to reducing stress, especially if you can increase your heart rate as you exercise.
• Tai Chi – Tai Chi is a series of gentle, slow-moving, flowing body movements that help to reduce stress. Its origins are in fighting styles, but now it's used for soothing the thoughts, conditioning the body system and reducing stress.
• Yoga – well-known for its ability to calm the mind, and stretch and relax the body.
• Meditate or use self-hypnosis – this can either be done by yourself at home, or with the guidance of a professional. Only a few moments are needed to immediately feel the weight of the world being lifted from your shoulders.
• If you're feeling stressed due to overwhelm, break your tasks down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
• Look at your diet and eliminate sugar and caffeine:
• Eat oily fish – it contains a high quantity of B vitamins which is great to help you deal with stress. Salmon and tuna are excellent choices, and you should try to consume at least two portions per week.
• Drink plenty of water – it's very important to stay hydrated. Your cells need water to operate properly.
• Drink milk – a bowl of wholegrain cereal with reduced-fat milk every morning is a great way to keep one step ahead of stress as your day begins.
• Eat nuts – nuts are a great source of Vitamin B2 and E, together with magnesium and zinc. Nuts contain (generally) unsaturated fats.
• Eat oranges and kiwi fruits - these are high in vitamin C, which helps to control the release of free-radicals into your system.
• Exercise – this doesn't have to involve a gym membership. A good regular walk or swim will go a long way to reducing stress, especially if you can increase your heart rate as you exercise.
• Tai Chi – Tai Chi is a series of gentle, slow-moving, flowing body movements that help to reduce stress. Its origins are in fighting styles, but now it's used for soothing the thoughts, conditioning the body system and reducing stress.
• Yoga – well-known for its ability to calm the mind, and stretch and relax the body.
• Meditate or use self-hypnosis – this can either be done by yourself at home, or with the guidance of a professional. Only a few moments are needed to immediately feel the weight of the world being lifted from your shoulders.
Handling stress means being in control of your thoughts and feelings, schedule, surroundings, money etc, and the methods you use to deal with these things. It's impossible to avoid all daily stress triggers, but it's vital to deal with the stressors and make sure you take some time to relax each day. To overcome both short and long-term stress and the impact it has on our body, it's important to really have the intention to calm ourselves down and, wherever possible, remove ourselves from the stressful situation we're in.
Unfortunately, stress can too easily become habitual and subsequently impact our health. If we can reduce stress by changing our instant reaction to stressful situations, then our our physical and mental health will both improve significantly.
Author's Bio:
If you'd like to try self-hypnosis to reduce stress, then I have an mp3 download available for you. It just takes 30 minutes or so to relax and listen to (preferably through headphones, if possible), and afterwards you'll feel relaxed, rested and in control. The download can be found at: http://www.lyndascrivener.com/stress-relief/
Sunday, 10 May 2020
Feeling Anxious? Then 'Watch' the News!
The human nervous system hasn't changed very much over the last million years. Its purpose is to keep us safe and help us survive; that means looking out for threat and risks that might lead to our demise or cause us harm. Naturally, like other animals, this 'alert' nervous system is crucial to our survival and keeps us scanning for potential danger.
Humans have developed the cognitive ability to use words, language and analysis to make sense of and communicate risk to one another efficiently. Humans can convey these messages about threat or danger with convincing and rich emotional content to highlight their relevance and importance. This superior intellectual ability has allowed humans to prosper and survive by organising communities, achieving social tasks, collaborating and problem-solving.
While living in tribal groups and small communities, our ancestors relied upon this ability to communicate warnings and risks to members of the tribe or community. A danger at the waterhole, poisonous berries, a lurking predator or an invading tribe were all risks that posed an immediate and relevant threat to each member of that tribe. Our nervous system is primed to be alert to such urgent warnings, especially when high emotion is present to convey urgency. Those who failed to attend would face danger and threat to their survival.
Community leaders throughout history disseminated relevant and important information for survival - the Town Crier and Pastors at churches became trusted 'news' bearers delivering information about community illness and death such as the Plague. Humans have learnt to pay attention when an announcement is made and our nervous systems are primed to do so!
The New Era
A lot has changed in the world since the invention of television, telephones and computers. The world is not constrained by geographical borders and tribal word-of-mouth communication. The millennial world features expansive social media influences with 24-hour news broadcasts, news updates to every device, news from every corner of the world, breakfast news, morning news, midday news, afternoon news, early evening news, late night news, and even news updates between the news!
If you are feeling overwhelmed just by reading that, it's obvious what the actual content of all this news is doing to our nervous systems. Physical arousal and stress are triggered by our nervous system's response to announcements and news that goes straight back to our primal need to survive and not necessarily because there is an actual and present threat to our safety.
Understanding the science of this can help us manage our responses to the world's events and to make decisions about protecting our nervous system.
We are inundated with announcements and information that are neither relevant nor an immediate threat to us individually. In doing its job well, the nervous system innocently attends to irrelevant messages, believing all news must be relevant and require urgent attention. In fact, reacting to information regarding a five-car pile-up on an icy motorway on the other side of the world has no immediate survival benefit to us.
While broader lessons can be learnt from the general information, this information can be used and conveyed in more considered and less dramatic ways to improve our society and keep us safe. The way in which this information is conveyed in the news is much more likely to trigger unnecessary and involuntary stress responses.
Tips to Look After Yourself in this World of Frantic News
- Limit your exposure to all news media - TV, radio, newspapers, social media.
- Limit the number of news organisations you follow on social media and notifications you receive.
- Observe and calm your response when you hear the 'news music' or 'breaking news' sound effects.
- Keep an eye on how many stories are being fed to you throughout your day on electronic devices while you are trying to focus on work, socialising or other meaningful tasks.
- Try to listen to less hyped and dramatic versions of the news.
- Follow the local news that is likely to be more relevant to your daily life.
- Be more aware of the emotional content of programs you watch and their impact on your mood, nervous system and thinking. Does it feel like more relevant information conveyed calmly and factually or does it feel more hyped, dramatic and irrelevant to your immediate world?
More resources about anxiety and stress management:
First Aid for Stress: https://www.brisbanecitypsychologist.com.au/first-aid-for-stress/
What to Do When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed: https://www.brisbanecitypsychologist.com.au/what-to-do-when-you-are-feeling-overwhelmed/
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Cherie_Dalton/256515
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9967886
Saturday, 9 May 2020
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